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Celiac Disease In Children

February 22nd, 2010 | Add a Comment

Celiac disease, also called celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is a condition that causes an extreme reaction to the ingestion of gluten. When someone with celiac disease consumes gluten, the immune system overreacts and damages the small intestine.

Celiac disease may be diagnosed in adulthood, but it is often diagnosed in infancy and childhood. Irritability is a common symptom of celiac disease in children. Celiac disease can also cause diarrhea and abdominal pain.

An infant with celiac disease may have normal digestion and growth until food containing gluten is introduced to the infant’s diet. The infant may react by having diarrhea, a distended abdomen, projectile vomiting, and irritability. The infant may stop gaining weight.

Children with celiac disease may have poor appetite and poor growth. The symptoms of celiac disease may temporarily subside during adolescence and become problematic again in early adulthood.

The only known treatment for celiac disease is to follow gluten-free diet. If a child is diagnosed with celiac disease, it is often beneficial for the entire family to follow gluten-free diet. This prevents the child from being exposed to foods containing gluten in the home and may reduce stress on the parents caused by needing to watch the child’s intake of food at all times.

Some parents of children with celiac disease experience anxiety about the child attending school. While attending school, the child is likely to come in contact with food that contains gluten in the school cafeteria and perhaps during student birthday celebrations or snack time.

The child’s celiac disease and need for a gluten-free diet should be discussed with the school nurse, school dietitian, and the student’s teacher. Parents may also want to discuss the celiac disease with the principal of the school.

A child who has been diagnosed with celiac disease needs to follow a gluten-free diet for their entire lives. Foods containing wheat, rye, and barley contain gluten. Other foods may also contain gluten such as frozen french fries or lunch meat.

Parents of children with celiac disease need to educate the children on how to identify foods that contain gluten. Parents will need to show the child how to follow a gluten-free diet and how to read food labels to determine which foods contain gluten. Gradually, the parents may give more responsibility to the child to follow a gluten-free diet.

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